Framework for Flexible Security in Group Communications

The Antigone software system defines a framework for the flexible definition and implementation of security policies in group communication systems. Antigone does not dictate the available security policies, but provides high-level mechanisms for implementing them. A central element of the Antigone architecture is a suite of such mechanisms comprising micro-protocols that provide the basic services needed by secure groups. Policies are implemented through the composition and configuration of these mechanisms. Mechanisms are composed in different ways to address new requirements and environ-mental constraints. The Antigone framework provides an easy-to-use application programming interface (API), from which secure group application programs can be built. Written entirely in the C++ programming language, the system consists of over 18,000 lines of source code and has been ported to several versions of Linux, FreeBSD, and SunOS. Information for accessing recent versions of the source code and related documentation is available at http://antigone.eecs.umich.edu.